Thermoelectric conversion means the conversion of thermal energy to electric energy and vice versa with use of the Peltier effect or the Seebeck effect. By utilizing the thermoelectric conversion, electricity is taken out from heat flow using the Seebeck effect, or electric current is applied to a material using the Peltier effect, to be able to bring about an endothermic phenomenon or an exothermic phenomenon. Also, the thermoelectric conversion is characterized by no generation of excessive waste at the time of energy conversion due to direct conversion, ability to make efficient use of exhaust heat, maintenance free due to no provision of movable parts such as a motor and a turbine, and so on, and thus attracts attention as a technique for high-efficiency use of energy.
The thermoelectric conversion usually uses metal or semiconductor elements called thermoelectric elements. As shown in FIG. 4, n-type semiconductors 6 and p-type semiconductors 7 are arranged on a substrate 5 and the adjacent semiconductors are connected to each other through an electrode 8. The capacity of this thermoelectric transducer depends on the shapes and materials of these semiconductors, and various studies have been conducted for improving the performance. One of these studies, for example, is to improve the thermoelectric characteristics of the thermoelectric transducer (refer to Patent Document 1).    [Patent Document 1] Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. Hei 7-211944.